"MF Global Holdings Ltd., the brokerage's parent company, filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 31, 2011, after a wrong-way $6.3 billion bet on bonds of some of Europe's most indebted nations. The company listed assets of $41 billion and debts of $39.7 billion. More than $1.6 billion in customer funds that should have been segregated were missing.

"The trustee, James Giddens, marshaled more than $5.3 billion in assets from MF Global's former exchanges and depositaries, which he said were clearly customer property. He has already made interim distributions to customers. The final distributions will require him to advance funds from the company's general bankruptcy estate."